Gibberellin 2-Oxidase

ABSTRACT

A nucleic acid sequence is provided which encodes a gibberellin 2-oxidase gene which catalyses the 2β-oxidation of a gibberellin molecule to introduce a hydroxyl group at C-2 and further catalyses the oxidation of the hydroxyl group introduced at C-2 to yield the ketone derivative. Such sequences can find application in the preparation of transgenic plants with altered levels of gibberellin 2-oxidase.

SEQUENCE LISTING STATEMENT

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FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a novel enzyme involved in the control of plant growth, DNA sequences coding for the enzyme and uses of the nucleotide sequence coding for the enzyme in the production of transgenic plants with improved or altered growth characteristics.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The gibberellins (GAs) are a large group of diterpenoid carboxylic acids that are present in all higher plants and some fungi. Certain members of the group function as plant hormones and are involved in many developmental processes, including seed germination, stem extension, leaf expansion, flower initiation and development, and growth of the seeds and fruit. The biologically active GAs are usually C₁₉ compounds containing a 19-10 lactone, a C-7 carboxylic acid and a 3β-hydroxyl group. The later stages of their biosynthesis involve the oxidative removal of C-20 and hydroxylation at C-3. Hydroxylation at the 2β position results in the production of biologically inactive products. This reaction is the most important route for GA metabolism in plants and ensures that the active hormones do not accumulate in plant tissues. The GA biosynthetic enzymes 7-oxidase, 20-oxidase, 3β-hydroxylase and 2β-hydroxylase are all 2-oxoglutarate-dependent dioxygenases. These are a large group of enzymes for which 2-oxoglutarate is a co-substrate that is decarboxylated to succinate as part of the reaction (see review by Hedden, P. and Kamiya, Y., in Annu. Rev. Plant Physiol. Plant Mol. Biol. 48 431-460 (1997)).

Chemical regulators of plant growth have been used in horticulture and agriculture for many years. Many of these compounds function by changing the GA concentration in plant tissues. For example, growth retardants inhibit the activity of enzymes involved in GA biosynthesis and thereby reduce the GA content. Such chemicals are used conmmonly, for example, to prevent lodging in cereals add to control the growth of ornamental and horticultural plants. Conversely, GAs may be applied to plants, such as in the application of GA₃ to seedless grapes to improve the size and shape of the berry, and to barley grain to improve malt production. Mixtures of GA₄ and GA7 are applied to apples to improve fruit quality and to certain conifers to stimulate cone production. There are several problems associated with the use of growth regulators. Some of the growth retardants are highly persistent in the soil making it difficult to grow other crops following a treated crop. Others require repeated applications to maintain the required effect. It is difficult to restrict application to the target plant organs without it spreading to other organs or plants and having undesirable effects. Precise targeting of the growth-regulator application can be very labour intensive. A non-chemical option for controlling plant morphology is, thus, highly desirable.

Developing seeds often contain high concentrations of GAs and relatively large amounts of GA-biosynthetic enzymes. Mature seeds of runner bean (Phaseolus coccineus) contain extremely high concentrations of the 2β-hydroxy GA, GA₈, as its glucoside, indicating that high levels of 2β-hydroxylase activity must be present. This has been confirmed for the related species Phaseolus vulgaris in which there is a rapid increase in GA 2β-hydroxylase activity shortly before seeds reach full maturity (Albone et al., Planta 177 108-115 (1989)). 2β-Hydroxylases have been partially purified from the cotyledons of Pisum sativum (Smith, V. A. and MacMillan, J., Planta 167 9-18 (1983)) and Phaseolus vulgaris (Griggs et al Phytochemistry 30 2507-2512 (1991) and Smith, V. A. and MacMillan, I., J. Plant Growth Regul. 2 251-264 (1984)). These studies showed that there was evidence that, for both sources, at least two enzymes with different substrate specificities are present. Two activities from cotyledons of imbibed P. vulgaris were separable by cation-exchange chromatography and get-filtration. The major activity, corresponding to an enzyme of M_(r) 26,000 by size exclusion HPLC, hydroxylated GA₁ and GA₄ in preference to GA₉ and GA₂₀, while GA₉ was the preferred substrate for the second enzyme (M_(r) 42,000). However, attempts to purify the enzyme activity to obtain N-terminal information for amino acid sequencing have proved impossible because of the low abundance of the enzyme in the plant tissues relative to other proteins and the co-purification of a contaminating lectin with the enzyme activity rendering N-terminal amino acid sequencing impossible.

The regulation of gibberellin deactivation has been examined in Pisum sativum (garden pea) using the sln (slender) mutation as reported in Ross et al (The Plant Journal 7 (3) 513-523 (1995)). The sin mutation blocks the deactivation of GA₂₀ which is the precursor of the bioactive GA₁. The results of these studies indicated that the sln gene may be a regulatory gene controlling the expression of two separate structural genes involved in GA deactivation, namely the oxidation of GA₂₀ to GA₂₉ by 2β-hydroxylation at C-2 followed by the further oxidation of the hydroxyl group to a ketone (GA₂, to GA29-catabolite). The conversion of GA₂₉ to GA₂₉-catabolite in pea seeds was inhibited by prohexadione-calcium, an inhibitor of 2-oxoglutarate-dependent dioxygenases (Nakayama et al Plant Cell Physiol. 31 1183-1190 (1990)), indicating that the reaction was catalysed by an enzyme of this type. Although the slender (sln) mutation in peas was found to block both the conversion of GA₂₀ to GA₂₉ and of GA₂₉ to GA₂₉-catabolite in seeds, the inability of unlabeled GA₂₀ to inhibit oxidation of radiolabelled GA₂₉, and vice versa, indicated that the steps were catalysed by separate enzymes. Furthermore, in shoot tissues, the slender mutation inhibits the 2β-hydroxylation of GA₂₀, but not the formation of GA₂₉-catabolite. These observations lead to the theory that there were two separate enzymes involved in this metabolic pathway controlling the deactivation of GA in plants (Hedden, P. and Kamiya, Y., in Annu. Rev. Plant Physiol. Plant Mol. Biol. 48 431-460 (1997)).

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

However, it has now surprisingly been found that a single enzyme can, in fact, catabolise these different reactions. The present invention represents the first reported cloning of a cDNA encoding a GA 2β-hydroxylase that acts on C₁₉-GAs and for which 2β-hydroxylation is its only hydroxylase activity. A cDNA clone from pumpkin seed encodes an enzyme that has both 2β- and 3β-hydroxylase activities (Lange et at. Plant Cell 9 1459-1467 (1997)), but its major activity is 3β-hydroxylation and it acts as a 2β-hydroxylase only with tricarboxylic acid (C₂₀) substrates; it does not 2β-hydroxylate C₁₉-GAs. Since the new enzyme of the present invention catalyses both the β-hydroxylation and further oxidation of the substituted hydroxyl group, to a ketone group at C-2, the enzyme has been termed a “GA 2-oxidase”.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

According to a first aspect of the present invention there is provided an isolated, purified or recombinant nucleic acid sequence encoding a gibberellin 2-oxidase enzyme comprising a nucleic acid sequence as shown in FIG. 1 or a functional derivative thereof, or its complementary strand or a homologous sequence thereto.

A system of nomenclature for the GA-biosynthesis genes has now been introduced (Coles et al The Plant Journal 17(5) 547-556 (1999). References in the present application to the gibberellin 2-oxidase gene of Phaseolus coccineus should be understood as also referring to PcGA2ox1. References in the present application to the gibberellin 2-oxidase genes of Arabidopsis thaliana as at-2bt3, at-2bt24 and T31E10.11 should be understood as also referring to AtGA2ox1, AtGA2ox2 and AtGA2ox3 respectively.

Nucleic acid sequences of the present invention which encode a gibberellin 2-oxidase (GA 2-oxidase) are 2-oxoglutarate-dependent dioxygenases that introduce a hydroxyl group at C-2β on GAs, particularly C₁₉-GAs, including the bioactive GAs such as GA₁ and GA₄. They may also oxidise the 2β-hydroxylated GAs further to give GA-catabolites, which have a ketone function at C-2. The lactone bridge of these catabolites may also be opened to produce a C-19 carboxylic acid and a double bond at C-10. The activity of the 2-oxidases results in inactivation of bioactive GAs or in the conversion of biosynthetic precursors of active GAs to products that cannot be converted to bioactive forms. A preferred nucleic acid sequence of the present invention therefore encodes a gibberellin 2-oxidase enzyme capable of oxidising C₁₉-gibberellin compounds by introduction of a hydroxyl group at C-2β. The enzyme may also oxidise the 2β-hydroxyl group to a ketone group. Preferred substrates of gibberellin 2-oxidases of the present invention are GA₉, GA₄, GA₂₀ and GA₁.

In the context of the present invention, the degree of identity between amino acid sequences may be at least 40%, suitably 50% or higher, e.g. 55%, 60%, 65%, 70%, 75%, 80%, 85%, 90% or 95%. At the nucleotide level, the degree of identity may be at least 50%, suitably 60% or higher, e.g. 65%, 70%, 75%, 80%, 85%, 90% or 95%. A homologous sequence according to the present invention may therefore have a sequence identity as described above. Sequence homology may be determined using any conveniently available protocol, for example using Clustal X™ from the University of Strasbourg and the tables of identities produced using Genedoc™ (Karl B. Nicholas).

Also included within the scope of the present invention are nucleic acid sequences which hybridises to a sequence in accordance with the first aspect of the invention. under stringent conditions, or a nucleic acid sequence which is homologous to or would hybridise under stringent conditions to such a sequence but for the degeneracy of the genetic code, or an pligonucleotide sequence specific for any such sequence.

Stringent conditions of hybridisation may be characterised by low salt concentrations or high temperature conditions. For example, highly stringent conditions can be defined as being hybridisation to DNA bound to a solid support in 0.5M NaHPO₄, 7% sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS), 1 mM EDTA at 65° C., and washing in 0.1×SSC/0.1% SDS at 68° C. (Ausubel et al eds. “Current Protocols in Molecular Biology” 1, page 2.10.3, published by Green Publishing Associates, Inc. and John Wiley & Sons, Inc., New York, (1989)). In some circumstances less stringent conditions may be required. As used in the present application, moderately stringent conditions can be defined as comprising washing in 0.2×SSC/0.1,% SDS at 42° C. (Ausubel et al (1989) supra). Hybridisation can also be made more stringent by the addition of increasing amounts of formamide to destabilise the hybrid nucleic acid duplex. Thus particular hybridisation conditions can readily be manipulated, and will generally be selected according to the desired results. In general, convenient hybridisation temperatures in the presence of 50% formarnide are 42° C. for a probe which is 95 to 100% homologous to the target DNA, 37° C. for 90 to 95% homology, and 32° C. for 70 to 90% homology.

An example of a preferred nucleic acid sequence of the present invention is one which encodes an enzyme which has the activity of a gibberellin 2-oxidase enzyme of Phaseolus coccineus (for example PcGA2ox1) or an equivalent protein of another member of the Fabaceae family. A nucleic acid sequence of the present invention may also encode a gibberellin 2-oxidase enzyme from Phaseolus vulgaris or from Arabidopsis thaliana (for example AtGA2ox1, AtGA2ox2 or AtGAox3).

Other nucleic-acid sequences in accordance with this aspect of the present invention may also comprise a nucleic acid sequence as previously defined in which the coding sequence is operatively linked to a promoter. The promoter may be constitutive and/or specific for expression in a particular plant cell or tissue, for example in roots using tobacco RB7 (Yamamoto et al Plant Cell 3 371-382 (1991)); in green tissues using tomato rbcS-3A (Veda et al Plant Cell 1 217-227 (1989)); in dividing cells using maize histone H3 (Brignon et al Plant Mol. Biol. 22 1007-1015 (1993)), or Arabidopsis CYC07 (Ito et al Plant Mol. Biol. 24 863-878 (1994)); in vegetable meristem using Arabidopsis KNAT1 (Lincoln et al Plant Cell 6 1859-1876 (1994)); in vascular tissue using bean GRP1.8 (Keller, B., & Heierli, D., Plant Mol. Biol. 26 747-756 (1994)); in flower using Arabidopsis ACT11 (Huang et al Plant Mol. Biol. 33 125-139 (1997)) or petunia chalcone synthase (Vandermeer et al Plant Mol. Biol. 15 95-109 (1990)); in pistil using potato SK2 (Ficker et al Plant Mol. Biol. 35 425-431 (1997)); in anther using Brassica TA29 (Deblock, M., & Debrouwer, D., Planta 189 218-225 (1993)); in fruit using tomato polygalacturonase (Bird et al Plant Mol. Biol. 11 651-662 (1988)). Alternative promoters may be derived from plant viruses, for example the Cauliflower mosaic virus 35S promoter (CaMV). Suitable promoter sequences can include promoter sequences from plant species, for example from the family Brassicaceae.

The present invention therefore also extends to an isolated, purified or recombinant nucleic acid sequence comprising a promoter which naturally drives expression of a gene encoding a gibberellin 2-oxidase enzyme comprising a nucleic acid sequence as shown in FIG. 1 or a functional derivative thereof, or its complementary strand, or a sequence homologous thereto. The gibberellin 2-oxidase enzyme may be of Phaseolus coccineus (for example PcGA2ox1) or an equivalent protein of another member of the Fabaceae family. Such nucleic acid sequences may also encode a gibberellin 2-oxidase enzyme from P. vulgaris or A. thaliana (for example AtGA2ox1, AtGA2ox2 or AtGA2ox3). Preferably, the nucleic acid sequence comprises a promoter which drives expression of a gibberellin 2-oxidase enzyme from P. coccineus, P. vulgaris or A. thaliana. Such promoter sequences include promoters which occur naturally 5′ to the coding sequence of the sequence shown in FIG. 1. Promoters may also be selected to constitutively overexpress the nucleic acid coding for the gibberellin 2-oxidase gene. Promoters that are induced by internal or external factors, such as chemicals, plant hormones, light or stress could be used. Examples are the pathogenesis related genes inducible by salicylic acid, copper-controllable gene expression (Mett et al Proc. Nat'l. Acad. Sci. USA 90 4567-4571 (1993)) and tetracycline-regulated gene expression (Gatz et al Plant Journal 2 397-404 (1992)). Examples of gibberellin-inducible genes are γ-TIP (Phillips, A. L., & Huttly, A. K., Plant Mol. Biol. 24 603-615 (1994)) and GAST (Jacobsen, S. E., & Olszewski, N. E., Planta 198 78-86 (1996)). Gibberellin 20-oxidase genes are down-regulated by GA (Phillips et al Plant Physiol. 108 1049-1057 (1995)) and their promoter coupled to the GA 2-oxidase ORF may also find application in this aspect of the invention.

Gibberellin 2-oxidase enzymes coded for by nucleic acid sequences of the present invention may suitably act to catalyse the 2β-oxidation of a C₁₉-gibberellin molecule to introduce a hydroxyl group at C-2 followed by further oxidation to yield the ketone derivative.

The nucleic acid sequences of the present invention may also code for RNA which is antisense to the RNA normally found in a plant cell or may code for RNA which is capable of cleavage of RNA normally found in a plant cell. Accordingly, the present invention also provides a nucleic acid sequence encoding a ribozyme capable of specific cleavage of RNA encoded by a gibberellin 2-oxidase gene. Such ribozyme-encoding DNA would generally be useful in inhibiting the deactivation of gibberellins, particularly C₁₉-GAs.

Nucleic acid sequences in accordance with the present invention may further comprise 5′ signal sequences to direct expression of the expressed protein product. Such signal sequences may also include protein targeting sequences which can direct an expressed protein to a particular location inside or outside of a host cell expressing such a nucleic acid sequence. Alternatively, the nucleic acid sequence may also comprise a 3′ signal such as a polyadenylation signal or other regulatory signal.

The present invention therefore offers significant advantages to agriculture in the provision of nucleic acid sequences to regulate the metabolism of the gibberellin plant hormones. The regulation could be to either inhibit plant growth by promoting the action of gibberellin 2-oxidase or to promote plant growth by preventing the deactivation of gibberellin by gibberellin 2-oxidase. For example, in 1997, there was lodging in about 15% of the wheat and 30% of the barley crop in the UK with an estimated cost to the growers of £f100m. The availability of lodging-resistant cereals with shorter, stronger stems as a result of reduced GA content could be of considerable financial benefit.

According to another aspect of the present invention there is provided an antisense nucleic acid sequence which includes a transcribable strand of DNA complementary to at least part of the strand of DNA that is naturally transcribed in a gene encoding a gibberellin 2-oxidase enzyme, such as the gibberellin 2-oxidase enzymes from P. coccineus, P. vulgaris or A. thaliana. Preferred genes according to the present invention include PcGA2ox1, AtGA2ox1, AtGA2ox2 and AtGA20x3.

The antisense nucleic acid and ribozyme-encoding nucleic acid described above are examples of a more general principle: according to a further aspect of the invention there is provided DNA which causes (for example by its expression) selective disruption of the proper expression of gibberellin 2-oxidase genes, or in preferred embodiments the P. coccineus gene PcGA2ox1.

According to another aspect of the: present invention there is provided an isolated, purified or recombinant polypeptide comprising a gibberellin 2-oxidase enzyme having the amino acid sequence as shown in FIG. 2.

Recombinant DNA in accordance with the invention may be in the form of a vector. The vector may for example be a plasmid, cosmid, phage or artificial chromosome. Vectors will frequently include one or more selectable markers to enable selection of cells transfected (or transformed: the terms are used interchangeably in this specification) with them and, preferably, to enable selection of cells harbouring vectors incorporating heterologous DNA. Appropriate “start” and “stop” signals will generally be present. Additionally, if the vector is intended for expression, sufficient regulatory sequences to drive expression will be present; however, DNA in accordance with the invention will generally be expressed in plant cells, and so microbial host expression would not be among the primary objectives of the invention, although it is not ruled out (such as for example in bacterial or yeast host cells). Vectors not including regulatory sequences are useful as cloning vectors.

Cloning vectors can be introduced into E. coli or another suitable host which facilitates their manipulation. According to another aspect of the invention, there is therefore provided a host cell transfected or transformed with a nucleic acid sequence as described above. A Further embodiment of the invention is the provision of enzymes by expression of GA 2-oxidase cDNAs in heterologous hosts, such as Escherichia coli, yeasts including strains of Saccharomyces cerevisiae, or insect cells infected with a baculovirus containing recombinant DNA. The enzymes could be used for the production of 2β-hydroxylated GAs and GA-catabolites or for the preparation of antibodies raised against GA 2-oxidases. The host cell may also suitably be a plant cell in plant cell culture or as part of a callus.

Nucleic acid sequences in accordance with this invention may be prepared by any convenient method involving coupling together successive nucleotides, and/or ligating oligo- and/or poly-nucleotides, including cell-free in vitro processes, but recombinant DNA technology forms the method of choice.

Ultimately, nucleic acid sequences in accordance with the present invention will be introduced into plant cells by any suitable means. According to a still further aspect of the invention, there is provided a plant cell including a nucleic acid sequence in accordance with the invention as described above.

Preferably, nucleic acid sequences of the present invention are introduced into plant cells by transformation using the binary vector pLARS120, a modified version of pGPTV-Kan (Becker et al Plant Mol. Biol. 20 1195-1197 (1992)) in which the β-glucuronidase reporter gene is replaced by the Cauliflower mosaic virus 35S promoter from pBI220 (Jefferson, R. A., Plant Mol. Biol. Rep. 5 387405 (1987)). Such plasmids may be then introduced into Agrobacterium tumefaciens by electroporation and can then be transferred into the host cell via a vacuum filtration procedure. Alternatively, transformation may be achieved using a disarmed Ti-plasmid vector and carried by Agrobacterium by procedures known in the art, for example as described in EP-A-0116718 and EP-A-0270822. Where Agrobacterium is ineffective, the foreign DNA could be introduced directly into plant cells using an electrical discharge apparatus alone, such as for example in the transformation of monocotyledonous plants. Any other method that provides for the stable incorporation of the nucleic acid sequence within the nuclear DNA or mitochondrial DNA of any plant cell would also be suitable. This includes species of plant which are not yet capable of genetic transformation.

Preferably, nucleic acid sequences in accordance with the invention for introduction into host cells also contain a second chimeric gene (or “marker” gene) that enables a transformed plant containing the foreign DNA, to be easily distinguished from other plants that do not contain the foreign DNA. Examples of such a marker gene include antibiotic resistance (Herrera-Estrella et al EMBO J. 2 987-995 (1983)), herbicide resistance (EP-A-0242246) and glucuronidase (GUS) expression (EP-A-0344029). Expression of the marker gene is preferably controlled by a second promoter which allows expression in cells at all stages of development so that the presence of the marker gene can be determined at all stages of regeneration of the plant.

A whole plant can be regenerated from a single transformed plant cell, and the invention therefore provides transgenic plants (or parts of them, such as propagating material, i.e. protoplasts, cells, calli, tissues, organs, seeds, embryos, ovules, zygotes, tubers, roots, etc.) including nucleic acid sequences in accordance with the invention as described above. In the context of the present invention, it should be noted that the term “transgenic” should not be taken to be limited in referring to an organism as defined above containing in their germ line one or more genes from another species, although many such organisms will contain such a gene or genes. Rather, the term refers more broadly to any organism whose germ line has been the subject of technical intervention by recombinant DNA technology. So, for example, an organism in whose germ line an endogenous gene has been deleted, duplicated, activated or modified is a transgenic organism for the purposes of this invention as much as an organism to whose germ line an exogenous DNA sequence has been added.

Preferred species of plants include but are not limited to monocotyledonous plants including seed and the progeny or propagules thereof, for example Lolium, Zea, Triticum, Sorghum, Triticale, Saccharum, Bromus, Oryzae, Avena, Hordeum, Secale and Setaria. Especially useful transgenic plants are maize, wheat, barley plants and seed thereof. Dicotyledenous plants are also within the scope of the present invention and preferred transgenic plants include but are not limited to the species Fabaceae, Solanum, Brassicaceae, especially potatoes, beans, cabbages, forest trees, roses, clematis, oilseed rape, sunflower, chrysanthemum, poinsettia and antirrhinum (snapdragon).

Screening of plant cells, tissue and plants for the presence of specific DNA sequences may be performed by Southern analysis as described in Sambrook et al (Molecular Cloning: A Laboratory Manual, Second edition (1989)). This screening may also be performed using the Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) by techniques well known in the art.

Transformation of plant cells includes separating transformed cells from those that have not been transformed. One convenient method for such separation or selection is to incorporate into the material to be inserted into the transformed cell a gene for a selection marker. As a result only those cells which have been successfully transformed will contain the marker gene. The translation product of the marker gene will then confer a phenotypic trait that will make selection possible. Usually, the phenotypic trait is the ability to survive in the presence of some chemical agent, such as an antibiotic, e.g. kanamycin, G418, paromomycin, etc, which is placed in a selection media. Some examples of genes that confer antibiotic resistance, include for example, those coding for neomycin phosphotransferase kanamycin resistance (Velten et al EMBO J. 3 2723-2730 (1984)), hygromycin resistance (van den Elzen et al Plant Mol. Biol. 5 299-392 (1985)), the kanamycin resistance (NPT II) gene derived from Tn5 (Bevan et al Nature 304 184-187 (1983); McBride et al Plant Mol. Biol. 14 (1990)) and chloramphenicol acetyltransferase. The PAT gene described in Thompson et al (EMBO J. 6 2519-2523 (1987)) may be used to confer herbicide resistance.

An example of a gene useful primarily as a screenable marker in tissue culture for identification of plant cells containing genetically engineered vectors is a gene that encodes an enzyme producing a chromogenic product. One example is the gene coding for production of β-glucuronidase (GUS). This enzyme is widely used and its preparation and use is described in Jefferson (Plant Mol. Biol. Reporter 5 387-405 (1987)).

Once the transformed plant cells have been cultured on the selection media, surviving cells are selected for further study and manipulation. Selection methods and materials are well known to those of skill in the art, allowing one to choose surviving cells with a high degree of predictability that the chosen cells will have been successfully transformed with exogenous DNA.

After transformation of the plant cell or plant using, for example, the Agrobacterium Ti-plasmid, those plant cells or plants transformed by the Ti-plasmid so that the enzyme is expressed, can be selected by an appropriate phenotypic marker. These phenotypic markers include, but are not limited to, antibiotic resistance. Other phenotypic markers are known in the art and may be used in this invention.

Positive clones are regenerated following procedures well-known in the art. Subsequently transformed plants are evaluated for the presence of the desired properties and/or the extent to which the desired properties are expressed. A first evaluation may include, for example, the level of bacterial/fungal resistance of the transformed plants, stable heritability of the desired properties, field trials and the, like.

By way of illustration and summary, the following scheme sets out a typical process by which transgenic plant material, including whole plants, may be prepared. The process can be regarded as involving five steps:

-   -   (1) first isolating from a suitable source or synthesising by         means of known processes a DNA sequence encoding a protein         exhibiting GA 2-oxidase activity;     -   (2) operably linking the said DNA sequence in a 5′ to 3′         direction to plant expression sequences as defined hereinbefore;     -   (3) transforming the construct of step (2) into plant material         by means of known processes and expressing it therein;     -   (4) screening of the plant material treated according to         step (3) for the presence of a DNA sequence encoding a protein         exhibiting gibberellin 2-oxidase activity: and     -   (5) optionally regenerating the plant material transformed         according to step (3) to a whole plant.

The present invention thus also comprises transgenic plants and the sexual and/or asexual progeny thereof, which have been transformed with a recombinant DNA sequence according to the invention. The regeneration of the plant can proceed by any known convenient method from suitable propagating material either prepared as described above or derived from such material.

The expression “asexual or sexual progeny of transgenic plants” includes by definition according to the invention all mutants and variants obtainable by means of known process, such as for example cell fusion or mutant selection and which still exhibit the characteristic properties of the initial transformed plant, together with all crossing and fusion products of the transformed plant material.

Another object of the invention concerns the proliferation material of transgenic plants. The proliferation material of transgenic plants is defined relative to the invention as any plant material that may be propagated sexually in vivo or in vitro. Particularly preferred within the scope of the present invention are protoplasts, cells, calli, tissues, organs, seeds, embryos, egg cells, zygotes, together with any other propagating material obtained from transgenic plants.

A further aspect of the invention is the provision of an antibody raised against at least a part of the amino acid sequence of gibberellin 2-oxidase. Such antibody is useful in screening a cDNA library in suitable vectors derived from the plant tissue RNA.

The gibberellin 2-oxidase gene according to the invention is useful in the modification of growth and developmental processes in transgenic plants. Another important aspect of the present invention is therefore its use in the preparation of transgenic plants or seeds in which the gibberellin 2-oxidase is constitutively overexpressed to reduce the concentration of bioactive gibberellins (GAs) in the plants or seeds. Preferred gibberellin 2-oxidase genes include PcGA2ox1, AtGA2ox1, AtGA2ox2 and AtGA20x3. Such transgenic plants overexpressing the GA 2-oxidase would resemble plants that had been treated with growth retardants. The invention could therefore be used to reduce vegetative growth as in, for example, the prevention of lodging in cereals, including rice, and the improvement in grain yield, the prevention of lodging in oilseed rape and the improvement of canopy structure, the improvement in seedling quality for transplantation, the reduction in growth of amenity grasses, the reduction in shoot growth in orchard and ornamental trees, the production of ornamental plants with more compact growth habit, the improvement in tolerance to cold, draught and infection, the increase in yields by diversion of assimilates from vegetative to reproductive organs, the prevention of bolting in rosette plants, such as sugar beet, lettuce, brassicas and spinach. The invention may also be used to induce male and/or female sterility by expression in floral organs, to prevent pre-harvest sprouting in cereals, to reduce shoot growth in hedging plants, to inhibit reversibly the development or germination of seeds and to reduce shoot growth of commercial wood species.

Overexpression of the nucleic acid sequences encoding gibberellin 2-oxidase may be achieved using DNA constructs comprising constitutive promoters and nucleic acid coding sequences in transgenic plants prepared by recombinant DNA technology. Alternatively, the overexpression may be achieved using the technique of homologous recombination to insert into the nucleus of a cell a constitutive promoter upstream of a normally silent copy of the nucleic acid sequence of the present invention.

The present invention also provides in an additional aspect the use of a nucleic acid sequence as previously defined in the preparation of transgenic plants and/or seeds in which expression of endogenous GA 2-oxidase genes in transgenic plants is reduced (i.e. silenced), by, for example, the expression of antisense copies of the endogenous GA 2-oxidase DNA sequences, the expression of truncated sense copies of the endogenous gene (co-suppression) or the use of synthetic ribozymes targeted to the endogenous transcripts. Preferred gibberellin 2-oxidase genes according to this aspect of the invention include PcGA2ox1, AtGA2ox1, AtGA2ox2 and AtGA20x3.

This would result in plants with reduced turnover, and hence increased concentrations, of bioactive GAs. In this form, the invention could be used, for example, to improve fruit set and growth in seedless grapes, citrus and pear, improve skin texture and fruit shape in apple, increase stem length and therefore yield in sugar cane, increase yield and earliness in celery and rhubarb, improve malting yields and quality in cereals, particularly barley. It could also be used to increase growth in woody species.

Preferred features of the second and subsequent aspects of the invention are as for the first aspect mutatis mutandis.

The invention will now be further described by reference to the following examples and drawings which are provided for the purpose of explanation only and should not be construed as being limiting on the present invention. In the examples, reference is made to a number of drawings in which:

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 shows the nucleotide sequence of the P. coccineus 2-oxidase cDNA clone pc-2boh.dna (PcGA2oxl) (SEQ ID NO: 1) with the coding region at residues 68-1063nt (332 amino acids).

FIG. 2 shows the deduced amino acid sequence for the P. coccineus nucleotide sequence (PcGA2oxl) (SEQ ID NO: 2) shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 shows the DNA probe sequences for A. thaliana probe T3 (SEQ ID NO: 3) (FIG. 3 a) and probe T24 (SEQ ID NO: 4)(FIG. 3 b).

FIG. 4 shows the two major pathways of gibberellin (GA) biosynthesis.

FIG. 5 shows the partial nucleotide sequence for A. thaliana clone at-2bt3 (AtGA2oxl)(SEQ ID NO: 5) with the coding region at residues 41-1027nt (329 amino acids).

FIG. 6 shows the deduced amino acid sequence for A. thaliana clone at-2bt3 (AtGA2oxl)(SEQ ID NO: 6)

FIG. 7 shows the partial nucleotide sequence for A. thaliana clone at-2bt24 (AtGA2ox2) (SEQ ID NO: 7), with the coding region at residues 109-1131nt (341 amino acids).

FIG. 8 shows the deduced amino acid sequence for A. thaliana clone at2bt24 (AtGA2ox2) (SEQ ID NO: 8).

FIG. 9 shows the nucleotide sequence for A. thaliana genomic clone T31E10.11 (AtGA2ox3) (SEQ ID NO: 9)

FIG. 10 shows the deduced amino acid sequence for genomic clone T31E10.11 (AtGA2ox3)(SEQ ID NO: 10).

FIG. 11 shows a photograph of transformed Arabidopsis plants (Columbia ecotype) expressing P. coccineus GA 2-oxidase cDNA under control of CaMV 35S promoter, including a transformed plant showing no phenotype (extreme right).

EXAMPLES Example 1 Isolation of cDNA Clone Encoding GA 2β-hydroxylase from Phaseolus Coccineus

A cDNA clone encoding a GA 2β-hydroxylase was isolated from Phaseolus coccineus embryos by screening a cDNA library for expression of functional enzyme as follows. RNA was extracted from the cotyledons of mature Phaseolus coccineus seeds, according to Dekker et al. (1989). Poly (A)+ mRNA was purified by chromatography on oligo(dT) cellulose. cDNA was synthesized from 5 μg of poly(A)+ mRNA using a directional cDNA synthesis kit (λ-ZAP II cDNA synthesis kit, Stratagene). The cDNA was ligated into λ-ZAP II arms, packaged using Gigapack Gold III (Stratagene) and 1×10⁶ recombinant clones amplified according to the manufacturer's instructions.

A phagemid stock was prepared from the Phaseolus coccineus cDNA library (1×10⁹ pfu) according to the manufacturer's in vivo excision protocol (Stratagene). For the primary screen, E. coli SOLR were infected with the phagemid stock according to the manufacturer's instructions (Stratagene), resulting in approximately 11000 colony forming units (cfu). These were subdivided into 48 wells (6×8 array) of a micro-titre plate (well volume=3.5ml) and amplified by overnight growth at 37° C. with shaking, in 0.5 ml of 2×YT broth supplemented with 50 μg/ml kanamycin and 100 μg/ml carbenicillin. Aliquots (20 μl) from the six wells in each row, and from the eight wells in each column were combined to make 14 pools and each added to 10 ml 2YT broth, supplemented with 50 μg/ml kanamycin and 100 μg/ml carbenicillin, and grown at 37° C. with shaking until an OD 600 nm of 0.2-0.5. The cultures were then transferred to a 30° C. shaking incubator and recombinant fusion protein production induced by the addition of IPTG to 1 mM. Cultures were induced for 16 hours. The bacteria were pelleted by centrifugation (3000 g×10 min) and resuspended in 750 μl of lysis buffer (100 mM Tris HCl pH 7.5, 5 mM DTT). Bacteria were lysed by sonication (3×10 s) and the cell debris pelleted by centrifugation for 10 min in a microfuge. The supernatants were assayed for GA 2β-hydroxylase activity as described below. Cell lysates from pooled bacteria of row 6 (R6) and column 1 (C1) were capable of catalysing the release of ³H₂O from [1,2-³H₂]GA₄ and [2,3-³H₂]GA₉. For the secondary screen bacteria from well R6C1 were plated out on 2YT agar plates, supplemented with 100 μg/ml carbenicillin and 50 μg/ml kanamycin, and grown for 16 hours at 37° C. One hundred single colonies were picked at random and transferred to 5 ml 2×YT broth containing 100 mg/ml carbenicillin and 50 mg/ml kanamycin and grown, with shaking, for 16 hours at 37° C. The cultures were arranged in a 10×10 grid and pools from each row and column induced and tested for GA 2β-hydroxylase activity as described above. Rows 2 and 9 and columns 7 and 10 were capable of catalysing the release of ³H₂O from [1,2-³H₂]GA₄ and (2,3-³H₂]GA₉. Cultures 27 and 90 were shown to be responsible for this activity. The putative GA 2β-hydroxylase clone was designated as 2B27.

Plasmid DNA, isolated from clone 2B27 using the Promega SV miniprep kit, was sequenced using Amersham's Taq cycle sequencing kit with the M13. universal (−20) and reverse sequencing primers. The chain termination products produced from the sequencing reactions were analysed using an Applied Biosystems 373A automated sequencer. Sequence analysis was performed using the program Sequencer 3.0 from Gene Codes Corporation. Further nucleotide and protein sequence analyses were performed using the University of Wisconsin Genetics Computer Group suite of programs.

Example 2 Assays of GA 2-Oxidase Activity

GA 2β-hydroxylase activity was determined by measuring the release of ³H₂O from a 2β tritiated GA substrate, as described by Smith and MacMillan (Smith, V. A., and MacMillan, J. in J. Plant Growth Regulation 2 251-264 (1984)). The bacterial lysate (90 μl) was incubated with [1,2-³H₂]GA₄ or [2,3-³H₂]GA₉ (ca. 50000 dpm), in the presence of 4 mM 2-oxoglutarate, 0.5 mM Fe(II)SO₄, 4 mM ascorbate, 4 mM DTT, 1 mg/ml catalase, 2 mg/ml BSA, in a final reaction volume of 100 μl. The mixture was incubated at 30° C. for 60 min. The tritiated GAs were removed by the addition microfuge. Aliquots (0.5 ml) of the supernatant were mixed with 2 ml scintillation fluid and the radioactivity determined by scintillation counting.

In order to confirm the function of the cDNA expression products, bacterial lysate was incubated with [17-¹⁴C]GAs in the presence of cofactors, as described above. After the incubation, acetic acid (10 μl) and water at pH 3 (140 μl) were added, and the [mixture was centrifuged at 3,000 rpm for 10 min. The supernatant was analysed by HPLC with on-line radiomonitoring and products identified by GC-MS, as described previously (MacMillan et al Plant Physiol. 113 1369-1377 (1997)).

Example 3 Cloning of cDNAs Encoding GA 2-Oxidase from Arabidopsis Thaliana

The predicted protein sequence of clone 2B27 was used to search the Genomic Survey Sequences database at the National Centre for Biological Information (ncbi.nlm.nih.gov) using the TblastN program. Two Arabidopsis genomic sequences, T3M9-Sp6 and T24E24TF, demonstrated high amino acid sequence identity with the 2B27 sequence. Oligonucleotide primers were designed based on the T3M9-Sp6 genomic sequences:

(SEQ ID NO: 11) 5′-TAATCACTATCCACCATGTC-3′ (sense), (SEQ ID NO: 12) 5′-TGGAGAGAGTCACCCACGTT-3′ (antisense), and T24E24TF sequences: (SEQ ID NO: 13) 5′-GGTTATGACTAACGGGAGGT-3′ (sense), (SEQ ID NO: 14) 5′-CTTGTAAGCAGAAGATTTGT-3′ (antisense), and used in PCR reactions with Arabidopsis genomic DNA as a template. The PCR reactions consisted of 200 ng of genomic DNA, 1× PCR buffer, 1.5 mM MgCl₂, 200 μM deoxynucleoside triphosphates, 1 μM of each pruner and 2 units of Taq DNA polymerase (Promega). The reactions were heated to 94° C. for 3 min then 35 cycles of amplification were performed (94° C. for 30 seconds, 55° C. for 30 seconds and 72° C. for 30 seconds) followed by a final 10 min incubation at 72° C. Resulting PCR products were cloned directly into the pCR2.1 vector using the TA cloning kit (Invitrogen) and sequenced as described above. The clones were designated as AtT3 and AtT24. Siliques, flowers, upper stems (the top 2 cm of stem), lower stems, leaves (cauline and rosette) and roots of the Columbia ecotype were collected and frozen in liquid N₂. Poly(A)⁺ mRNA was extracted as described above. Northern blots were prepared by the electrophoresis of 5 μg samples of the poly(A)⁺ mRNA through agarose gels containing formaldehyde and subsequent transfer to nitrocellulose (Sambrook et al Molecular Cloning. A Laboratory Manual. Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press, Plainview, N.Y. (1989)). Random-primed ³²P-labelled probes were generated for AtT3 and AtT24 using Ready to go labelling beads (Pharmacia). FIG. 3 shows the DNA probe sequences for A. thaliana probe T3 (FIG. 3 a) and probe T24 (FIG. 3 b). Hybridisations were carried out in the presence of 50% formaniide at 42° C. for 16 h (hybridisation buffer: 5×SSPE, 2× Denhardts, 0.5 % (w/v) SDS, 100 μg/ml denatured sonicated salmon sperm DNA, 10% Dextran sulphate). Blots were washed twice for 10 min in 1×SSC/0.5% SDS at 20° C. A further 2×10 min washes were performed in 0.1×SSC/0.5% SDS at 60° C. Blots were exposed to Kodak MS film at −80° C. with MS intensifying screens: highest expression of both genes was detected in the inflorescence. A cDNA library was constructed using 5 μg of inflorescence poly(A)⁺ mRNA as described above. A total of 5×10⁵ recombinant phage in E. coli XL1-Blue MRF′ were plated on five 24 cm×24 cm square plates. Plaques were grown until confluency (8-10 h), then duplicate lifts were taken on 20×22 cm supported nitrocellulose filters (Nitropure, MSI) and processed as described by Sambrook et al (Molecular Cloning: A Laboratory Manual. Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press, Plainview, N.Y. (1989)). Hydridization of ³²P-labelled AtT3 and AtT24 probes was performed as described above. Positive plaques were identified by autoradiography and cored front the plates into 750 μl of SM buffer (50 mM Tris HCl pH7.5, 100 mM NaCl, 10 mM MgSO₄, 0.5% gelatine) and rescreened until plaque-pure clones were isolated. Plasmid rescue was performed using Stratagene's Rapid Excision kit. The cDNA clones were sequenced and recombinant protein expressed in E. coli and tested for GA 2-oxidase activity as described above. The partial nucleotide and deduced amino acid sequences for the clones are shown in FIGS. 5, 6, 7 and 8.

A third Arabidopsis genomic sequence T31E10.11 (AtGA2ox3), with a high amino acid identity with the P. coccineus GA 2-oxidase (PcGA2ox1) was also detected in the GenBank database. Its derived amino acid sequence has 53%, 49% and 67% identity (67%, 67% and 84% similarity) with the P. coccfneus GA 2-oxidase (PcGA2ox1), T3 (AtGA2ox1), and T24 (AtGA2ox2), respectively. The nucleotide sequence of T31 is shown in FIG. 9 and the deduced amino acid sequence is shown in FIG. 10.

Example 4 Transformation of Arabidopsis with Sense and Antisense GA 2-Oxidase cDNA Constructs

The predicted coding region of 2B27 was amplified by PCR using oligonucleotide primers:

(SEQ ID NO: 15) 5′-TGAGCTCAACCATGGTTGTTCTGTCTCAGC-3′ (sense), and (SEQ ID NO: 16) 5′-TGAGCTCTTAATCAGCAGCAGATTTCTGG-3′ (antisense), each of which had a SacI restriction site incorporated at its 5′ end. The PCR product was sub-cloned into pCR2.1 to facilitate DNA sequencing as described previously. The 2B27 coding region was digested with SacI and sub-cloned into SacI site of the binary vector pLARS120, a modified version of pGPTV-Kan (Becker et al. Plant Mol Biol 20 1195-1197 (1992)) in which the β-glucuronidase reporter gene is replaced by the cauliflower mosaic virus 35S promoter from pBI220 (Jefferson, R. A., Plant Mol Biol Rep 5 387-405 (1987)). The DNA was inserted in the sense orientation under the control of the 35S promoter. The plasmid was introduced into Agrobacterium tumefaciens by electroporation and then transferred into Arabidopsis cv. Columbia via a vacuum infiltration method (Bechtold et al. Compt. Rend. Acad. Sci. Serie iii-Sciences de la Vie-Life Science 316 1194-1199 (1993)). Similarly, SacI fragments of AtT3 and AtT24 were sub-cloned into pLARS120, except in these two cases the DNA was inserted in the antisense orientation under the control of the 35S promoter. Arabidopsis was transformed with these two antisense constructs as described above.

Example 5(a) Altered Expression of GA 2-Oxidase in Transgenic Plants

The P. coccineus 2-oxidase cDNA in sense orientation (PcGA2ox1) and the A. thaliana 2-oxidase cDNA in antisense orientations were inserted between the CaMV 35S promoter and nos terminator in the vector pLARS120. The vector pLARS120 is a binary vector for Agrobacterium-mediated plant transformation: the T-DNA contains, in addition to the CaMV 35S promoter and nos terminator, an nptII selectable marker under the nos promoter. The vector is derived from pGPTV-Kan (Becker et al Plant Mol. Biol. 20 1195-1197 (1992)), the uidA reporter gene in pGPTV-Kan being replaced by the 35S promoter. The binary expression constructs Were introduced into Agrobacterium tumefaciens strain GV3101 carrying the pAD1289 plasmid conferring overexpression of VirG by electroporation. These were introduced into Arabidopsis by the vacuum infiltration method (Bechtold et al Compt. Rend. Acad. Sci. Serie iii-Sciences de la Vie-Life Science 316 1194-1199 (1993)). To identify transgenic plants, seeds from infiltrated plants were grown on MS plates supplemented with kanamycin (50 μg/ml) for approximately 14 days and resistant plants were transferred to compost. T-DNA containing the P. coccineus 2-oxidase construct was also introduced into Nicotiana sylvestris by the infection of leaf discs with transformed Agrobacterium tumefaciens.

The transformation of Arabidopsis plants with P. coccineus GA 2-oxidase cDNA under the control of the CaMV 35S promoter yielded the following results. Over half of all transformants examined showed some degree of dwarfing, many were severely dwarfed and some failed to bolt. FIG. 11 shows a photograph of a selection of dwarf transformed plants compared with a transformed plant showing no phenotype (Columbia ecotype). The transformants responded to treatment with GA₃ with increased stem elongation and normal flower development so that it was possible to obtain seeds. Overexpression of the P. coccineus GA 2-oxidase cDNA in Nicotiana sylvestris resulted in plants with reduced stem height. One transformant did not bolt or produce flowers, whereas non-transformed plants of the same age had already flowered.

Example 5(b) Altered Expression of GA 2-Oxidase in Transgenic Plants

Five Arabidopsis lines that are homozygous for the 35S-PcGA2ox1 transgene were obtained. One line bolted at the same time as wild-type (Columbia) plants but had reduced stem height, whereas the other four lines remained as rosettes and did not bolt when grown in long (16 hour) or short (10 hour) photoperiods. One severely dwarfed line has failed to produce homozygous plants, even when seeds were germinated in the presence of GA₃, indicating that seed development was impaired in this line when two copies of the gene were present. The severely dwarfed lines possessed small, dark leaves that remained close to coil level. They produced flower buds when grown in long photoperiods although the flowers did not develop normally and were infertile. No flower buds were obtained when plants were grown in short photoperiods. Treatment of the transgenic lines with 10 μM GA₃ enabled them to bolt and produce normal flowers that set viable seed. Metabolism of C₁₉-Gas was compared in a severely dwarfed 35A-PcGA2ox1 line with that in wild-type plants. On the basis of HPLC, the dwarf line converted GA₁, GA₄, GA₉ and GA₂₀ to 2-oxidised products to a much greater extent than did the wild-type. The dwarf line did not metabolise GA₃, confirming results with recombinant enzyme indicating that GA₃ is not a substrate for the GA 2-oxidases. Therefore, this GA can be used, when required, to reverse the GA-deficiency resulting from overexpressing GA 2-oxidase genes.

Northern blot analysis of the 35S-PcGA2ox1 lines confirmed high levels of expression of the transgene. Transcript abundance for GA 20-oxidase (AtGA2ox1) and 3β-hydroxylase (AtGA3ox1) genes was elevated in rosettes of the 35S-PcGA2ox1 lines compared with wild-type plants, whereas native GA 2-oxidase (AtGA2ox2) transcript level was reduced, as a consequence of the control mechanisms for GA homeostasis.

Example 6 Expression Patterns of Arabidopsis GA 2-Oxidase Genes T3 and T24 (AtGA2ox1 and AtGA2ox2 Respectively)

The expression patterns of Arabidopsis GA 2-oxidase genes T3 and T24 were examined by probing Northern blots of RNA extracted from different tissues with the full length cDNAs. The genes showed similar patterns of expression, with transcript for both genes present in leaves, lower stems, upper stems, flowers and siliques. The highest levels of expression were in flowers, siliques and upper stems in decreasing order of transcript abundance. T24, but not T3, was also expressed in roots. Transcript abundance for both T3 and T24 in immature flower buds and pedicels of the GA-deficient Arabidopsis mutant, gal-2, is increased after treatment with GA₃, indicating that expression of these 2-oxidase genes is upregulated by GA. This contrasts with expression of the GA 20-oxidase and 3β-hydroxylase genes which are downregulated by GA. Transcript abundance for T31 was much lower in all tissues than for T3 or T24. T31 transcript was detected by RT-PCR in flowers, upper stems and leaves but not in roots or siliques.

Example 7 Function of the Recombinant GA 2-Oxidases from Phaseolus coccineus and Arabidopsis Thaliana

The catalytic properties of the recombinant proteins obtained by expressing the cDNAs from P. coccineus (PcGA2ox1) and A. thaliana (AtGA2ox1, AtGA2ox2 and AtGa2ox3) in E. coli were examined by incubating in the presence of dioxygenase cofactors with a range of ¹⁴C-labelled GA substrates, consisting of the C₁₉-GAs GA₁, GA₄, GA₉ and GA₂₀, and the C₂₀-GAs, GA₁₂ and GA₁₅. This last compound was incubated in both its closed and open lactone forms. No conversion of GA₁₂ was obtained with any of the enzymes, whereas GA₁₅ was converted to a single product by PcGA2ox1 and AtGA2ox2. The open lactone form of GA₁₅ (20-hydroxyGA₁₂) was converted to the same product by AtGAox2, but less efficiently than was the lactone form, whereas there was no conversion of GA₁₅ open lactone by PcGA2ox1. The mass spectrum of the product from GA₁₅ is consistent with it being 2β-hydroxyGA₁₅, although, because the authentic compound is not available for comparison, the identity of this product is tentative.

Comparison of the substrate specificities of the recombinant enzymes for the C₁₉-GAs (Table 1) indicated that GA₉ was the preferred substrate for PcGA2ox1, AtGA2ox1 and AtGA2ox2. The recombinant enzymes differed somewhat in their substrate specificities, with GA₄ being converted as effectively as GA₉ by PcGA2ox1 and AtGA2ox3, but a relatively poor substrate for AtGA2ox1 and AtGA2ox2. Although GA₂₀ was 2β-hydroxylated more efficiently than GA₄ by AtGA2ox1 and AtGA2ox2, no GA₂₉ catabolite was detected after incubations with GA₂₀, whereas low yields of GA₃₄ catabolite were obtained when GA₄ was incubated with PcGA2ox1, AtGA2ox2 and AtGA2ox3. The activities of recombinant PcGA2ox1, AtGA2ox2 and AtGA2ox3 for 2β-hydroxylation of GA₉ varied little between pH 6.5 and 8, and that of AtGA2ox1 peaked at pH 7 with no detectable activity at pH≦5.9 and ≧8.1.

The results indicate that the non-3β-hydroxy C₁₉-GAs, which are immediate precursors of the biologically active compounds, are better substrates for the GA 2-oxidases than are the active Gas themselves. Therefore, overexpression of GA 2-oxidase genes would result in very little active GA being produced.

TABLE 1 Specificity of recombinant GA 2-oxidase for C₁₉-GA substrates Recombinant ¹⁴C-labelled GA 2β-Hydroxy GA GA-catabolite Enzymes substrate product Product PcGA2ox1 GA₁ 100 — GA₄ 83 17 GA₉ 87 13 GA₂₀ 86 — AtGA2ox1 GA₁ 41 — GA₄ 25 — GA₉ 91 — GA₂₀ 50 — AtGA2ox2 GA₁ 100 — GA₄ 77 23 GA₉ — 100  GA₂₀ 100 — AtGA2ox3 GA₁ 100 Trace GA₄ 86 14 GA₉ 100 — GA₂₀ 25 —

Values are % yield by HPLC-radiomonitoring of products after incubation of cell lysates from E. coli expressing the cDNA with ¹⁴C-labelled GA substrate and cofactors for 2.5 h. Products and substrate were separated by HPLC and products identified by GC-MS. Where combined yield of products <100%, the remainder is unconverted substrate.

Gibberellin (GA) Biosynthesis

FIG. 4 shows the two major pathways of gibberellin (GA) biosynthesis, from GA₁₂ to GA₄ and from GA₅₃ to GA₁. GA₁ and GA₄ are the biologically active GAs. The conversion of GA₁₂ to GA₉ and of GA₅₃ to GA₂₀ are catalysed by GA 20-oxidase. The conversion of GA₉ to GA₄ and of GA₂₀ to GA₁ are catalysed by GA 3β-hydroxylase. GA₉, GA₄, GA₂₀ and GA₁ are all substrates for the 2β-hydroxylase activity of GA 2-oxidase, being converted to GA₅₁, GA₃₄, GA₂₉ and GA₈ respectively. These 2β-hydroxylated GAs can be further oxidised to the corresponding catabolites. The present invention shows that the enzyme from P. coccineus and the two enzymes from Arabidopsis thaliana catalyse the 2β-hydroxylation of each substrate. In addition, the present invention shows that the P. coccineus enzyme and one of the A. thaliana enzymes forms GA₅₁-catabolite and GA₃₄-catabolite when incubated with GA₉ and GA₄ respectively. 

1.-11. (canceled)
 12. An isolated antisense nucleic acid that comprises a transcribable strand of DNA complementary to at least part of the strand of DNA that is naturally transcribed in a gene encoding a gibberellin 2-oxidase enzyme.
 13. (canceled)
 14. A vector comprising the nucleic acid as claimed in claim
 12. 15. A host cell transfected or transformed with the nucleic acid as claimed in claim
 12. 16. The host cell of claim 15, wherein said host cell is a plant cell.
 17. A plant or a part of a plant that comprises the host cell of claim
 16. 18. Propagating material from a plant as claimed in claim
 17. 19. A method for preparing a plant, wherein said method comprises introducing said nucleic acid as claimed in claim 12 into a plant cell and regenerating said plant from said plant cell.
 20. (canceled)
 21. A method for reducing expression of endogenous gibberellin 2-oxidase genes in transgenic plants, said method comprising (a) preparing a plant that comprises the antisense nucleic acid as claimed in claim 12; and (b) expressing said antisense nucleic acid sequence.
 22. An isolated nucleic acid that causes selective disruption of the expression of a gene or genes encoding a gibberellin 2-oxidase enzyme or enzymes.
 23. The isolated nucleic acid of claim 22, wherein said nucleic acid is DNA.
 24. The isolated nucleic acid of claim 22, wherein said nucleic acid is RNA.
 25. A nucleic acid construct comprising a promoter that is functional in a plant cell and that is operably linked to a nucleic acid that, when expressed in a plant cell, is transcribed into a nucleic acid molecule that reduces the expression of an endogenous gibberellin-2-oxidase gene in said plant cell.
 26. The construct of claim 25, wherein said endogenous gibberellin 2-oxidease enzyme has an amino acid sequence selected from the group consisting of SEQ ID NOs 2, 6, 8 and 10, or a homologous sequence thereto having an amino acid sequence identity of at least 40%.
 27. A plant cell comprising the construct of claim 25 or claim
 26. 28. A method of promoting plant growth, comprising: (a) transforming a plant cell with a construct as claimed in claim 25 or claim 26; (b) regenerating a plant from said transformed plant cells; and (c) expressing said nucleic acid.
 29. The isolated antisense nucleic acid of claim 12, wherein said nucleic acid has at least 80% nucleic acid sequence identity to the complementary strand of residues 68-1063 of SEQ ID No.
 1. 